Provision of website maintenance, hosting and design services for the purposes of ensuring smooth running of Cities Alliance’s Drupal based website

New amendment added #1: Dear Bidders,A. The following sections of the RFP have been amended as follows:1) Objective 02: Cities Alliance Website hosting and maintenance servicesWebsite Hosting services: The contractor shall provide hosting services for One Drupal websites: Cities Alliance website (https://www.citiesalliance.org/).2)WordPress as a requirement has been deleted from the SOWPlease refer (the highlights in yellow) to the revised files labelled:RFP_Section_II_Schedule of Requirements_ Amend 01.This shall form part of the official solicitation documents. Please be guided accordingly.B. With reference to RFP/2024/52533, please take note of the following changes.The Proposal submission deadline has been extended from 22 July 2024 to 25 July 2024 13:00 Brussels Time.  Thank you 

New clarification added: Question 67: How many hours/days per month/year does Cities Alliance anticipate to be dedicated to general maintenance of the site, as well as support for new enhancement workResponse: The 20 hours/month refer to the standard maintenance and updates needed to keep the website running smoothly. This is an estimate based on the last two years of operation of the website. A similar number of hours are needed per month depending on our design needs. The contractor is expected to update the current version of the website. Estimated time for the update: 60 to 80 hours of service. Replacing code from various contributed modules,post-upgrading testing process. This will be confirmed with the contractor upon signature of the contract.

New clarification added: Question 41: How many production environments (live environments)?Response:  1Question 42: How many of non-production environments existing next to a production environmentResponse: 2 Question 43: How many per month requests the production environments generate (http / https requests) OR if you do not have requests, pageviews from Google Analytics will be fine too ?Response: Monthly average requests: 995,485. Some spikes, for examples on April 2024, it was 2,582,958.Question 44: What is per month bandwidth the environments generate (TB) overall?Response: Average 200 GB / month.Question 45: What is the cache ratio at the CDN levelResponse: Not ApplicableQuestion 46: What is the Database size in GB?DB: 1 GBQuestion 47: What is file storage in GB?Files and code: 63.4 GBQuestion 48: How much memory does your memcached / redis cache currently use?Not available. Standard numbers should be assumed.Question 49: What are the used Frameworks (also including versions if possible)?Drupal 10.2Question 50: Are there any non-standard integrations or tech requirements (e.g. SOLR, ElasticSearch) ?Solr for Search. Redis for Cache.Question 51: Typical (average) number of non-production environments required per production environment, e.g. dev, test, UAT etcResponse: Refer to response aboveQuestion 52: Per month number of requests the production environments generate (http / https requests) if you do not have requests, pageviews from Google Analytics also workResponse: Refer to response aboveQuestion 53: Per month bandwidth the environments generate (TB)Response: Refer to response aboveQuestion 54: Do you require a CDN?Response: Refer to response aboveQuestion 55: What is the cache ratio at the CDN level? (if applicable)Response: Refer to response aboveQuestion 56 : Storage requirements in total across the two websites                       Database size in GB                       File storage size in GBResponse: Refer to response aboveQuestion 57 :Are you open to considering Drupal-optimized hosting providers such as Acquia and Pantheon?Response: YesQuestion 58: Regarding the content archival requirements under Objective 02, has the list of content to be archived already been identified?Response: YesQuestion 59: Could you please provide more details on the one-click installation requirement for WordPress, Drupal, Magento, and Joomla? Is there a plan to include this technology stack in the future?Response :no Wordpress services neededQuestion 60: We are assuming the required accessibility standard is WCAG 2.2. Could you please confirm this?Response: WCAG 2.1 Level AA complianceQuestion 61: The statement "Providing a single point of contact for overall Contract management"—does this imply that hosting will be procured through Axelerant?Reponse: By Providing a single point of contact for overall Contract management we mean we will have a contract with the awarded contractor as the point of contact not many.Question 62: Can we expect some knowledge transfer sessions from the incumbent vendor partner during the onboarding phase?Response : YesQuestion 63: We use JIRA to manage support tickets. What is your comfort level with that?Response: We are familiar with JIRA as a tool.Question 64: Could you provide the existing backlog/tickets?Response: This will be provided to the selected bidderQuestion 65: What activities can be expected as part of the Level 1 Service Desk support? E.g., User Account Management, Content Creation & Editing, etc.Response : In brief and not limited to Password Resets and User Account Management:Basic Technical Support,Incident Triage and Ticket Routing,Documentation and Knowledge Management. These activities will be discussed and agreed upon with the selected vendorQuestion 66: What is your current and expected Service Level Agreement (SLA) for Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 requests?Response : The expected services level activities will be as indicated in the SOW. 

New clarification added: Question 22: RFP Questions - Will all vendor questions be published to the public or be submitted back to prospective vendors?   Response: All questions and responses will be shared publiclyQuestion 23: Daily Rates - Do we need to submit the rate of the professionals separately (web designers/ web developers) as per their function or it should be an aggregate rate?Response: Reference to be made to Form C: Financial Proposal Form Table 3 - Personnel CostQuestion 24: Current Vendors - Are there any existing vendors who are providing the said services? What evaluation criteria is being evaluated specifically to find the optimal partner from the bidders?Response: Yes we have an existing contract with the current vendor providing the services. Evaluation Criteria being evaluated is clearly highlighted in FORM D of  RFP_Section_III_Returnable Bidding Forms in reference to the SOW in RFP_Section_II_Schedule of Requirements.Question 25: Multilingual site - The current site looks to be only in English.  Is there any wish to make the site multilingual?Response: At this time there no wish to make the site multilingual however if this changes the contractor will be informed during contract management stage.Question 26: Project Decision Maker - Would there be a 'product owner' for this project?  i.e. a team member to be a focal point of contact to provide yes/no answers?Response: YesQuestion 27: IT knowledge in-house - Are any of these employees considered 'IT-focused' who can help discuss in-depth technical matters?Response: No, but we have an external IT providers that can provide technical support.Question 28: Migration - Please confirm that the current hosting is on OVH. If so, what specifically were you dissatisfied with regarding the current hosting provider?Response: Yes using Dedicated Server.Question 29: Domains: Are there any other URLs we should know about other than the main site?Response: NoQuestion 30: Integrations - Any other integrations relevant to the work outlined in the RFP?Response: NoQuestion 31: Donations/Commerce:  Are there any donation functionalities or commerce transaction functionalities associated with this site?Response: NoQuestion 32: Data Protection:  What is your current data protection plan and any policies in place? Response: Current protection plan and policies are formulated within the ISO/IEC 27701,  ISO 27001 we have established systems to support compliance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).Question 33: Evaluation Criteria - Any other evaluation criteria in consideration for an ideal business partner and/or proposal?Response: Evaluation Criteria being evaluated is clearly highlighted in RFP_Section_III_Returnable Bidding Forms in reference to the SOW in RFP_Section_II_Schedule of RequirementsQuestion 34: Contract type: In the ‘Schedule of Payment’ section on page 7 of the RFP_Section_II_Schedule of Requirements it is stated, ‘The prices proposed by the contractor will be fixed for the entire duration of the contract.’ Would you prefer a fixed-price contract or could a T&M-based contract be considered for a more Agile approach to planning?   Response: fixed-price contractQuestion 35: Budget:  Would you be permitted to share the allocated budget for this support & maintenance work for year 1?Response: NOQuestion 36: RFP requirement clarification - Wordpress is mentioned in the “details that need to be maintained with the same domain name“ list. Can we ignore this as a mistake (perhaps just characteristics/capabilities of the current hosting platform) or are you looking for Wordpress related services too?Response: Yes this is a mistake, no Wordpress services needed.Question 37: RFP requirement clarification - “At least 50% or above of the staff are female” - Is this in reference to the company staff as a whole (i.e. including staff who would not be dedicated to this work) or does it only reflect the proposed team for the work?Response: It also reflects the proposed team for the work.Question 38: RFP requirement clarification - In reference to Contractor’s responsibility on page 5 of the RFP_Section_II_Schedule of Requirements, it is required for service providers to have an understanding of the Information Security Requirements - Where can detailed documentation of the Information Security Requirements be found?Response: Current protection plan and policies are formulated within the ISO/IEC 27701,  ISO 27001. we have established systems to support compliance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).Question 39: RFP requirement clarification - In reference to Contractor’s responsibility on page 5 of the RFP_Section_II_Schedule of Requirements, it is required for service providers to have an understanding of the Web Accessibility - Where can detailed documentation of the Web Accessibility be found? Are there any specific requirements to be reviewed?Response: WCAG 2.1 Level AA complianceQuestion 40: RFP requirement clarification - RFP_Section_II_Schedule of Requirements highlights maintenance of the current website, as well as support when needed, e.g. ‘Create a new visual design that allows for an improved user experience,’ How many hours/days per month/year does Cities Alliance anticipate to be dedicated to general maintenance of the site, as well as support for new enhancement work? What would be the envisioned ratio over time?Response:  Average we expect 20h maintenance and light fixes /month

New clarification added: Question 15: Is your current vendor bidding on this work?Response: This is an open competition proposal thus open to all vendors.Question 16: Are you parting ways with your current Vendor? If so, what are the areas where you would like to see your new vendor perform differently?Response: As mentioned in 15 above this is an open competition proposal thus open to all bidders. The vendor is expected to deliver the services as highlighted in the TOR.Question 17: Hosted Drupal services (Acquia and Pantheon) are mentioned in Objective 1, content maintenance services. Are you open to directly contracting with these services, or do you expect the vendor to pass through a contract to UNOPS?Response: We are not directly contracting these services and bidders can subcontract any vendors as requested in RFP Form D 2.2 and 2.3 bidders are expected to mention tasks subcontracted.Question 18: It is our understanding from RFP Section 2 that you are seeking a partner who can both provide a comprehensive web reskin ("Create a new visual design that allows for an improved user experience") while also providing ongoing web design and development services. Do you envision these as separate initiatives that run concurrently throughout the engagement, or do you see the refresh as happening up-front?Response: These are separate initiatives.Design changes are expected to be light and on ad-hoc basisQuestion 19: What changes do you most want to see in a reskin? When would you like to see these changes live on the public website?Response: Integration of interactive graphics /maps, and small improved editing capabilities by end of 2024Question 20: We noticed a requirement support the creation new content. What level of current editing ability do you have in Drupal? What would you like to be able to manage on your own in the future?Response: Creation of different type of web contents. Easier layout  and integration of interactive content.Question 21: What is your target monthly budget for this work?Response: This will be determined by the proposed awarded amount. We will evaluate proposals based on the value and expertise you can bring to our project. We would appreciate receiving a detailed proposal outlining your services and associated costs. This will help us determine how well your offering fits with our needs and budget considerations.

New clarification added: Dear Bidders,Please find below requests for clarification received and our official responses concerning the subject requirement;Question 2:  Would the authority accept a proposal where above 40% of staff identify as female?Response : maximum points will be awarded where at least 50% or above of the staff are female.Question 3: Are the authority expecting fixed costs for the Design element of this project? At present it is likely that the scope would require further interrogation in order to provide an accurate estimate.Response: The prices proposed by the contractor will be fixed for the entire duration of the contractQuestion 4: Similarly, we would be able to provide a timeline for the onboarding of the Cities Alliance platform onto our support/hosting service, however a detailed timeline for the design work required would require collaboration with the Cities Alliance team, would providing an Onboarding timeline at this stage be acceptable?Response: As indicated in the TOR proposed contract start date is  01st Sep 2024.Year 01: 01 Sep 2024- 31st Aug 2025Year 02: 01 Sep 2025 - 31st Aug 2026Extension of year 02 will be subject to availability of funds and satisfactory performance of the contractor. At the bidding stage a proposed Detailed Timetable or a Gantt Chart is required which will be amended and agreed upon with the awarded vendor.Question 5: Would the authority accept a Project Manager with less than 7 years of experience but where all experience has been in the delivery of Drupal projects?Response: maximum points will be awarded where Minimum 7 years of experience for Project manager.Question 6: Where is the platform hosted now? Can you please share the current production server specification? Response: Currently it's hosted on a dedicated server.Total processors: 34 - 32RAM: 128 GBServices: Apache, PHP 8.3, Solr, Redis, MySQLQuestion 7: Would you please share the platform size in terms of files, code  and dbResponse: Total storage needs between  64.1 - 64.5 GB.Files and code: 63.2 to 63.5 GBDB: 1 GBQuestion 8: Which is your preffered Hosting Service provider?Response: Platform as a Service hosting. Please note the information provided is for guidance purposes. Bidders are requested and required to understand the TOR and provide their solutions.Question 9: Please provide daily and monthly site traffic details?Response: Avg Unique visitors / month: 35,837Avg Number of visits / month: 58,225Avg pageviews / month: 251,374Question 10: Do you foresee traffic hike or major capacity growth in site file/db size in the near future?Response: NoQuestion 11:  Are there any paid module used in this platform ? if yes, please list the detailsResponse : NoQuestion 12:  Are there any email feature/services used in this platform ? if yes,please share the details with use caseResponse: NoQuestion 13 : Would you please share current production virtual machine specification in terms of memory and cpu.Response: Currently it's hosted on a dedicated server.Total processors: 32RAM: 128 GBServices: Apache, PHP 8.3, Solr, Redis, MySQLQuestion 14: There is a document named 'Contract for Professional Services' which is there along with other documents. We presume that this document is for reference only and will be submitted only when the contract is awarded to the vendor.  Request you to please confirm that this document is not required to be submitted currently while submitting the other documents - techncial and financial response for the bid. Response: Correct the document is for your reference and will be completed by UNOPS and shared with the selected vendor during contract award stage.

New clarification added: Dear Bidders,Please find below requests for clarification received and our official responses concerning the subject requirement;Question 1:In the tender document "Section II: Schedule of Requirements" (Provision of website maintenance, hosting and design services for the purposes of ensuring smooth running of Cities Alliance’s Drupal based website, RFP/2024/52533), the following requirement is stated "At least 50% or above of the staff are female".I would ask you to clarify whether the reference to "staff" includes only the agency's permanent staff or the agency's permanent employees as well as fixed-term employees.Thank you in advance.Response:It includes both permanent employees and fixed-term employees.The statement mentions that "at least 50% or above of the staff are female," it generally means that this requirement applies to the workforce, including both permanent and fixed-term employees. Thus, the agency should aim for at least half of all its employees, to be female to meet this criterion.